Improvement in sofa-bedsteads



`2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

WILLIAM FAHSUN sum BEUSTEFQPQ6h No.120,374. ct.31,1s71'.

SHEET N92 www C22/@ OFFICE.

WILLIAM FARSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

lMPROVEMENT IN SOFA-BEDSTEADS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 120,374, dated October31, 1871; antedated October 17, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIAM FARsoN, of the city of Philadelphia and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Sofa- Bedsteads,of which the following is a specification:

The nature of my invention consists of the following features: Theback-board of the sofa is hinged so as to turn down and form apart ofthe support for the bed, and is provided with catches to connect it withthe standing arms when thrown upward in its elevated position, as shownin my patent dated January 18, 1870. With the face of the board arecombined double horizontal levers hinged together at their middle ends,and so connected with the arms of the conining levercatches as to beoperated simultaneously by a single operation, so that the catches maybe confined to hold the back in its elevated position by moving thelevers with one hand when their connected ends are grasped or releasedfor lowering the back to its horizontal position to extend the supportfor the bed, as will be hereinafter described. The sofa is provided withdouble arms at each end, one stationary, and the other arranged to swingbackward over the back-board when the latter is in its horizontalposition. The swinging arms are connected with the stationary arms bymeans of slip-hinges connected with a vertical wire, and so arranged asto admit ofthe said swinging arm being elevated to clear the mattresswhen swung back. The back-board is provided with wedge-formed strips atits ends, which in coming against the perpendicular back edges of thestanding arms give the proper ineline to the back. The lower edges ofthe swinging arms have a reversed inclination to that of the inclines onthe back, so as to cause said parts to t together when the arms areswung outward.

To enable others to make and use my improved sofa-bedstead, I will nowgive a full description thereof.

In the accompanying drawing, which makes a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a back elevation of the sofa-bedstead. Fig. 2 is a plan viewof the same when the back is lowered to its horizontal position for thereception of the bed. (The bed is omitted in the drawing to show theimprovements more clearly.) Fig. 3 is a crosssection at the line x :c ofFig. 2. Fig. 4 is an end view of the sofa. Fig. 5 is a view of one ofthe hinges a.

Like letters in all the figures indicate the same parts.

A is the bottom frame of the sofa. B B are permanent ends connectedtherewith. C is the back-board of the sofa. D D are swinging arms whichmake a finish with the arms B B to which they are connected by means ofhinges av, when in the position seen in Fig. 1. The ends of the bedsteadare extended over the board C by the said arms, as seen in Figs. 2 and3, when said board is turned down into its horizontal position toreceive the mattress. Ateach end of the sofa there is a iiy, E, hingedto the bottom frame A, to be swung outward to support the board C. Theupper edge of the ily is provided with a dowel, b, which connects with acorresponding mortise, b', in the back-board G, to hold the iiy securelyin position. To the said board C are confined wedge-shaped pieces d d,to give an inclination to the back when in its elevated position. rlheswinging arms D have a reversed inclination at their lower edge so as tofit the former inclines when brought into connection therewith. Thestanding pieces e e, which make a nish with the arms D D when foldedagainst the ends B B, are of corresponding inclination on their upper'edges to that of the lower edges of the arms, so as to give a permanentsupport to the same. In order to admit of the arms D D being elevated soas to swing over the mattress the hinges are made in two pieces, asshown in detail in Fig. 5, the parts l being fast to the standing arm B,and the iiy part 2 to the swinging arm D. A single wire, F, at each endof the sofa, is connected with the fly parts 2 2 of the hinge, andslides in the eyes of the parts 1 1 as the swinging arm is elevated toclear the mattress as it is swung around to the position seen in Figs. 2and 3, or when brought back to the position seen in Fig. 1. The loweredges of the said arms are provided with dowels f, which fit incorresponding holes in the inclines to hold the arms in their backwardposition. The backboard C is securely connected with the ends B B of thesofa when in its elevated position by means ofthe lever-catches G G,which are hung on the pivots g, the cat ch part h of the levers fallingin front of the top hinge, as seen in Fig. 4. This combination andarrangement of the lever-catches is shown in my patent dated January 1S,1870, above referred to. The said lever- 'catches are in my presentinvention, however,

operated by means of anovel device, which consists of the double leversH H. The levers turn on the fulcrum-pins jj. They are connected at theirinner ends by means of the hinge J.

The connected ends of the levers are elevated by grasping them With onehand to depress the outer ends of the catch-levers G G, and thusdisengage them from the upper end of the upper hinges a to admit of theback G being brought into its horizontal position, as seen in Figs. 2and 3. When the back is returned to its elevated position the catchesare brought into Yconnection with the hinges by pressing the levers H HdoWn into the position shown in Fig. l.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

WILLIAM FARSON. [L. S.]

Witnesses THOMAS J. BEWLEY,

STEPHEN UsTIoK. (62)

